Former Hillsdale College football player Isaac TeSlaa has arrived in the National Football League after the Detroit Lions made him their 70th overall draft pick in May.
“Starting at Hillsdale was a crucial time for me as I made the transition from quarterback to receiver,” TeSlaa said. “Being able to learn at Hillsdale and play under those coaches was such a great experience, for both my education and football career.”
TeSlaa played wide receiver for the Hillsdale Chargers for three seasons, 2020 to 2022, before transferring to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks for two more seasons.
“The transition to Arkansas was difficult in a lot of ways, especially going from playing Division II to then being in the Southeastern Conference, but I got a lot of good learning experience with special teams, which I will definitely carry over into my time playing as a rookie for the Lions,” TeSlaa said.
TeSlaa joins a handful of Hillsdale-educated NFL athletes, including Chester Marcol ’82, a kicker, and Jared Veldheer ’10, an offensive lineman.
Born and raised in Hudsonville, Michigan, TeSlaa’s dad, Mark TeSlaa ’97, taught him the love of football. The younger TeSlaa played in high school and then followed in his father’s footsteps to play at Hillsdale College. TeSlaa played three seasons for the Chargers, beginning with his freshman season in 2020, where he transitioned from playing quarterback to wide receiver.
He earned a starting spot on the team as a true freshman, leading up to his sophomore breakout season. During his second season, he led the Chargers in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, claiming the title of Outstanding Offensive Back for the 2021 team.
His 2022 season with the Chargers kept him in the spotlight with a stat line of 68 receptions for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns. He recorded seven games with 100 receiving yards or more and earned honors as the Great Midwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and team MVP, as well as an All-American Honorable Mention.
“There is such a strong brotherhood on the [Hillsdale] team because everyone just loves playing football,” TeSlaa said. “I’ve made some great life-long friends from my time playing at Hillsdale.”
As a rookie for the Lions, TeSlaa has played in three preseason and special teams games while continuing to develop as a player. He scored three touchdowns, one in each of their preseason games.
“I have no doubt Isaac will find success in the NFL,” football head coach Nate Shreffler said. “He will be a great teammate and will make any locker room better due to his character. The coaches and fans will love him for his work ethic and his natural ability to make big plays, and I wish him the best of luck.”
Although Hillsdale coaches don’t train players with the expectation that they will make it to the NFL, Shreffler said they hope that their players will become the best they can be.
“Our goal is to develop and maximize everyone’s potential and if they have the measurables and are talented enough, the NFL will find them,” Shreffler said. “Over the past 20 years, we have had 15 or so guys get into NFL camps. Our staff has done a great job over the years developing our players, and when an NFL-caliber guy is in our locker room, we can see it and will alert the appropriate NFL scouts.”
Ben Hinrichs ’24 played on the football team with TeSlaa during his time at Hillsdale. He said he is not surprised by TeSlaa’s accomplishments.
“I was just unbelievably happy that the one team of 32 players that he’d loved since he was born was willing to sacrifice to get him,” Hinrichs said. “It was really cool to see how excited the Hillsdale community was and to see how that excitement had a ripple effect to people even loosely connected to Hillsdale. At every point of the draft process, from the Hula Bowl to the Combine, even when the odds were against him he completely exceeded expectations.”
